It started as a crazy idea. Over time it has developed into a sacred tradition. The longer I spent time around elementary school parents the more I saw a very basic need; sleep. If that first one doesn’t work out coffee is a close second. After a year of living right next to an elementary school it was time to try out the crazy idea. On the first week of school we popped up a table, put out a sign and started serving coffee. We had no idea that three years later we would still be doing this.

If you peer through our very unimpressive display and decent coffee you can find a vagabond community. We gather on the curb to know and be known, and we use coffee as a convenient excuse. Parents, neighbors, the school principal, bus drivers and other occasional passerby’s have joined us. Many of the same folks who were coming three years ago still come today. Over time they have become friends.

Most of the spiritual fruit can be found in teary-eyed conversations and sharing about Jesus dotted amidst the mundane and tiring season of having small kids. One relationship sticks out more than the rest. A gal named Bri has struggled through three deaths, subsequent mental issues, addiction and separation from her husband since we started gathering. She has needed extra grace and extra care that was never convenient. One week Bri showed up unexpectedly at our church gathering. Tears rolled down her face through the entire sermon. This happened several weeks in a row.

God has worked in amazing ways in Bri in the last few months. In just a few weeks I will get the privilege of baptizing Bri! She has not only found a community who will love her unconditionally, but she has come to know Jesus. Watching Bri’s life has made all the sacrifices on Friday mornings worth it.

Many people are dying to do something for God. They are willing to do almost anything, but they don’t know where to start. If this is you I encourage you to start…anywhere. Pick something simple and do it in Jesus’ name. Don’t just join the PTA, bring snacks to all the meetings and write notes to all the teachers. Don’t just throw a block party, ask how you can serve your neighbors in their time of need. Don’t just invite your friends to your house, keep inviting them when they turn you down.

As followers of Jesus we are not simply called to serve; we’re called to do this in the name of Jesus. This changes everything- motivation, attitude and even how we measure success. Something as simple as giving a cup of coffee in Jesus’ name can transform lives.

Alan Briggs, his wife Julie & their 4 kids live in Colorado Springs. He is the Multiplying Pastor at Vanguard Church. For more information: @AlanBriggs

East Boulder Baptist Church, north of Denver, has had the privilege of mentoring a young man. He came to us from Myanmar (formerly called “Burma”.). His family was brought here to Colorado by the U.S. government during a war there 10 years ago, and his mom is a Christian. His parents found out that our church had a Deaf Ministry, so one day (at the age of 7) he shyly walked into our group. He had no language, no social skills, and no way of communicating whatsoever.

He came sporadically for a year or so, and then we discovered where he lived. After that we began bringing him to church every Sunday – to Missionary Prayer Time, Deaf Sunday School class, and the interpreted worship service. We also brought him to our Deaf Bible Study every Wednesday night, which meets in an assisted living center of one of our Deaf members. Oh, we can’t forget that we also brought him to our Deaf retreats, Deaf annual Christmas Party, and all of the hearing functions of the church that we interpret.

Slowly, very slowly Lay Wah began to learn a bit of sign language. He began to sign to us a little as we would ride in the car, and he began to make a bit of eye contact after about 5 years.

Now, Lay Wah is 17. We finally knew it was time to share the Gospel with him. On Wednesday evening, November 19th, during our weekly Deaf Bible Study, our leaders shared the Gospel with him via the Evangecube. He knelt in front of the group with the leaders, confessed his sins, expressed his belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and opened his heart to the Lord. When he got up off of his knees we asked, “Where is Jesus now?” He beamed as he pointed to his heart!

Lay Wah was baptized on Sunday, December 21, 2014! We had a reception for him, his family and close friends after church. To God be the glory!

GRESHAM, Ore. (BP) — New York homeowner Frank Primiano didn’t know what to think about a team of Southern Baptist college students who came into his home following Hurricane Sandy and removed wet insulation, did other dirty jobs and then thanked him for letting them do so. Thanks in part to those acts of kindness, Primiano later came to faith in Christ.

Because he was connected by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers with a local church and someone to disciple him, he later joined the church and was baptized. Primiano then helped start a cancer ministry at his new church.SBDR team member Randy Corn shared that story at the 2015 SBDR Round Table held Jan. 29-30 at Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Ore. He recounted Primiano’s journey to illustrate the ongoing need for “survivor care.” Corn laid out a developing plan to help SBDR better disciple new believers who come to faith during a disaster response.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) — Christianity is alive and well in Washington, D.C., in spite of what you may read on your smartphones or watch on television.

This past week, I spent two days in our nation’s capital, where I joined thousands of our fellow countrymen at the National Prayer Breakfast. I also saw firsthand the work of Southern Baptist lawmakers in Congress.

Kelly and Brandi Parrish moved to Timnath, Colorado to start Living Rock Church with their kids Zachary, Noah, Joshua, and AnnaFaith.

“We believe that God called us out of the Bible Belt to plant a church in a significantly unreached population,” said Kelly. “We continued to pray and fast and over time, God clearly led us to Colorado.

In October 2013, my company transferred me into our Denver office and our family moved. We are located in Timnath, which is directly east of Fort Collins. It is absolutely exploding with growth. We are in a new neighborhood where homes are being built all around us. A large majority of our population are young, highly educated, unreached families that are moving in and looking for someone or something to connect to.

We are currently in our Pre-Launch phase. We are focusing on developing authentic relationships in our community, planting the Gospel, and making disciples. God is growing up a team and His church around us.”

Join us in praying for the Parrishs as they start this Church Plant launching February 8th, 2015. Pray for Kelly as he transitions from working full time in Denver to full time ministry. Pray for their family, the team, and the people of Timnath to grow in the knowledge of God’s love.

]]>http://saturatecolorado.com/blog/meet-the-parrishs/feed/0Stephen & Janice Hoekstra honored for service with HMB/NAMB 1981-2014http://saturatecolorado.com/blog/stephen-janice-hoekstra-honored-for-service-with-hmbnamb-1981-2014/
http://saturatecolorado.com/blog/stephen-janice-hoekstra-honored-for-service-with-hmbnamb-1981-2014/#commentsWed, 28 Jan 2015 23:22:32 +0000http://saturatecolorado.com/?p=5156How do you show thanks and appreciation to people like Steve and Janice Hoekstra? The list of ways they have served God and the people living in and traveling through Colorado is endless. You may have met them at a mountaintop worship service. Maybe you saw Steve as he came running and hollering into a church service or event as the Mountain Man. Maybe you received a bottle of water, some food and a hug or prayer from them when it was needed most. You could have been with them on a trip to one of the Olympics to provide transportation, food & drink, support and encouragement and sharing “More than Gold” to those working at the Olympics.

Whether it was at RAAT Patrol, RMRMI, Alpine Resort Ministries, Basic Training for Church Planters, a local church or associational event or a plethora of other leadership training or ministry opportunities, or just one of those divine appointments that God arranged, Steve and Janice have impacted Colorado and the world sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ.

Serving the Home (HMB) and North American (NAMB) Mission Board from 1981-2014, Steve retired from NAMB on December 31, 2014. Although retired from NAMB, what Steve does won’t look much different from what he’s been doing for the past 30+ years. Steve has been part of the Colorado Baptists’ staff alongside being a NAMB missionary and will continue on as Colorado Baptists Western Colorado Director, Church Planting West Team Leader…

On January 13, 2015, Mike Atherton, President of the Colorado Baptist General Convention and Chairman of the Executive Board presented a plaque of thanks and appreciation to Steve for years of service as a NAMB missionary. The plaque read as follows:

In Grateful Thanks & Appreciation to

Stephen & Janice Hoekstra for your ministry, service and leadership as

Home/North American Mission Board Missionaries

1981-2014

From Colorado to the Nations of the World

the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been shared,

Leaders have been trained and sent out,

Cups of water have been given in His Name.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Isaiah 52:7

SBC President Ronnie Floyd has issued a call to Southern Baptists for repentance, extraordinary prayer, revival, and spiritual awakening. At www.ronniefloyd.com you can access “Pleading with Southern Baptists: To Humbly Come Together Before God in Clear Agreement, Visible Union, and in Extraordinary Prayer for The Next Great Awakening and for The World to be Reached for Christ.”

American Christianity faces a growing crisis. Over 1,500 churches close their doors each month, over 1,700 ministers leave the ministry each month, and church attendance and other vital signs are declining. Dr. Floyd declares, “The church must rise up in extraordinary prayer and urgent action. We must take desperate steps forward spiritually during these desperate times in which we live.”

On January 13, the CBGC Executive Board voted unanimously to embrace/adopt “Pleading with Southern Baptists,” and set Sunday, May 3, 2015, as a statewide day of prayer and fasting for revival and spiritual awakening. The executive board encourages all Colorado Baptist churches to take action as listed by Dr. Floyd. The only hope for our churches and our culture is a mighty movement of God in a Great Awakening.

On the third weekend in January, eight Trail Guides left Colorado for a journey off the map to the mysterious land southeast of Colorado known as Ft. Worth Texas. It was an exciting adventure of discovery, searching our way through the unknown, looking to the right and left and listening to our guide as we followed the way mapped out for us. We saw gigantic dragonflies and butterflies, erupting volcanoes, cascading rivers and beautiful waterfalls. But what direction should we go to find the answers to what we need to know for our journey this summer in VBS and Kids Clubs? Each of us found vast resources and saw examples of how to use them in various venues. We learned what a great tool Journey Off The Map can be for Vacation Bible Schools, community kids clubs/day camps, mission trips and other events. Journey Off The Map isn’t just for kids! There are great resources for Adults and Youth, too. Here are the six steps for preparing for your Journey Off The Map this summer:

Know your purpose and theme

Start Planning

Enlist and train workers

Promote and publicize

Register participants

Continue the connection

We want to help you get started on this exciting journey. On March 7, 2015, Monument Hill Church, SBC, Monument, CO will host our Journey Off The Map training clinic. You are invited to bring Association Teams, Church Teams or come alone if you don’t have a team yet or maybe you are only checking out the possibilities for having a VBS/Kids Club event this summer or further down the road. Your Journey Off The Map guides will be: Greg & Kim Teel, Karen Bransgrove, Melissa Velasquez, Ginger LeBlanc and David & Kathy Britton. Watch for more information on our Colorado Baptists web site, facebook page and in our e-news.

]]>http://saturatecolorado.com/blog/lifeways-journey-off-the-map-vbssummer-kids-club-training-clinic/feed/0A New Work in a New Communityhttp://saturatecolorado.com/blog/a-new-work-in-a-new-community/
http://saturatecolorado.com/blog/a-new-work-in-a-new-community/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 22:27:35 +0000http://saturatecolorado.com/?p=5122by Amber Cassady

Huddling around a campfire with neighbors, sipping on hot chocolate and passing out candy to eager trick-or-treaters on October 31, 2013 seemed like a happy Halloween night with old friends. But for Kelly and Brandi Parrish and their four children, it was their sixth day living in the budding town of Timnath, just southeast of Fort Collins. Many neighbors had lived there for four years and never been in each other’s homes, but now they were discovering their need for each other—their need for community. Over 150 connected to the Parrish family that night. It was just the beginning of God’s new work in Timnath.

Only eight months prior, the Parrishes drove down roads lined with construction trucks as they explored this rapidly growing town. They were here to scope out this exciting new community like the many others moving into town. But their motivation was unique amongst their peers. Brandi reflected on their mindset, “Our prayer for that trip was: ‘Show us with our eyes where you want us to be. Don’t let it be based on emotions.” They were following a distinct call from God to their promised land.

The realtor’s office was the first among their stops on this journey. Kelly noticed a large gray area blocked out in the map of the community plans. “What is that gray space on the map supposed to be?” he asked the realtor. The realtor shrugged him off and said not to worry about it. “No, I really would like to know,” Kelly persisted. “What is that gray space on the map?” The realtor looked up at him and gave Kelly a response that confirmed once again that this was exactly where his family needed to plant their lives: “They marked that gray space out for a church but we don’t have those around here. So you don’t need to worry about it.”

Those words, combined with countless other confirmations, solidified the call Kelly and Brandi had on their hearts to plant a church and now they knew where. Both Kelly and Brandi found peace when they read Joshua 19:50,“…as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.”

The Parrishes returned to Tyler, Texas where Kelly worked full-time for an oil and gas company while they were serving on a leadership team of a church plant. God quickly provided a transfer and promotion for Kelly to continue working for the company in Denver. The move to Colorado was even paid for by the company. “They don’t know they are planting a church,” Brandi added with a smile.

Ever since that Halloween night last year, the Parrishes have continued to invest in and built intentional relationships with those they live alongside. The initial plan was to start gathering in the summer of 2014. But by January, a couple approached them about starting a Bible study. Twenty-three people showed up for the first night of Bible study without any advertising. “We were not looking to grow,” Kelly said. “But God grew it anyway beyond our expectations.”

The Parrish home is now a place of worship and teaching every Sunday for 100+ people. Neighbors are also in and out throughout the other days of the week for men’s and women’s Bible studies and children’s events. Many are outside of the faith and a good portion of regular attendees are new and immature believers. This September, eight were baptized by Kelly at a special gathering where each obediently put their newfound faith in Jesus on display.

They call this community Living Rock Church, but Kelly was clear that they did not come to build up an organization. “We don’t have the ability to plant a body of Christ,” Kelly said. “God was calling us to make disciples and God would raise a church once we were obedient to that call.”

Their mission is simple: to guide people of all backgrounds to follow Jesus and make disciples.

Living Rock Church has not yet officially launched. Preview services are being held on December 14, 2014 and January 11, 2015 and the launch service will take place on February 8, 2015 at Walker Manufacturing at 5925 East Harmony Road, Fort Collins, CO 80528. To learn more about Living Rock Church and the story of God’s love at work through this ministry, visit their website at Livingrockfc.com.

“And the things that you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” II Timothy 2:2

10 years ago I did a series of articles on Colorado Baptists’ 10 core values adopted by our Executive Board. These values are rooted in and reflect what we as Southern Baptists believe the scripture teaches. In the next months I want to take the opportunity I have in this column to again review and discuss these values to keep them in front of our churches and members.

The first core value I would like to address is “Leadership Development.” Our core value states: “Identifying and training spiritual leaders sustains and perpetuates Kingdom growth.” The simple reality is that as the number of churches in Colorado increases, so too does the need for trained leaders. To help meet this need Colorado has been blessed by the presence of our Rocky Mountain Campus.

As I said 10 years ago, traditionally, the residential philosophy of seminary education has been the basis for meeting our need for new pastors and other leaders. According to this philosophy, established churches help identify young men and women they feel are called of God to fill ministry positions. These men and women are encouraged to pack up and move to one of our fine Southern Baptist Theological institutions where they spend three or four years immersed in a rich community of professors and fellow students. They leave these institutions fully trained and credentialed to minister in a church. This philosophy has served us well and will continue to produce many good church leaders.

However, this philosophy of seminary education alone will not meet the needs of our rapidly expanding population – especially the need we have in Colorado as we are seeing lostness increase every year. Presently about 50% of the pastors in Colorado are bi-vocational. They have a second source of income to support them as they shepherd their flock. This percentage is increasing. The typical Coloradoan being called out today is older, has a family and is working at an established career. This person does not have the freedom to up-root his family, leave the career that is supporting them and move for an extended period of time to one of our six residential campuses. Therefore we must bring quality seminary training within their reach.

God has blessed Colorado with a fully credentialed campus right here in Denver. I believe the existence of our Rocky Mountain Campus represents a very real affirmation of our vision and direction. Under Dr. Steve Veteto’s leadership the enrollment at our campus has sustained an average of 80 students for the past 10 years. God has truly blessed.

We have two challenges. First is financial. Gifts to the campus have declined over the last few years. The Business and Financial Plan of the Southern Baptist Convention prohibits any direct solicitation of funds from our churches by any of our national SBC entities. Therefore, Dr. Veteto is not able to approach our churches asking for support for our campus. However, this is our campus and we need every church supporting it. Second, we must pray that God will continue to call out reliable men and women who will also be qualified to teach others.

The Colorado Baptist General Convention values the equipping of leaders with sound biblically-based training. Praise the Lord for the Rocky Mountain Campus.